As all of you well know, one of the most electric athletic talents is probably going to be the first pick if the NFL draft. He has a strong arm, he is big and tall, and is an elite runner. Nevertheless, be weary, running QB's have a deplorable history in the NFL. 

When evaluating a running QB and how he might translate in the NFL, you must ask yourself "is he successful because he is a great athlete or can he be successful without his unique athleticism.??" A QB in the NFL that relies strictly on his athleticism is doomed to fail for a few of reasons. 1.) his unique ability in college is no longer unique in the Pro ranks. 2.) He wont be athletic for his whole career and 3.)He is going to get hurt. Yes its just that simple, the franchises most important player cannot be barreling over linebackers consistently. He eventually has to be able to effectively read coverages stand in the pocket and deliver within the confines of the "SAFE ZONE". In the NFL once you break contain (your outside the tackles) you become legal fresh meat. 

This is not to say that a mobile QB is not preferred over a statue; in fact I prefer my QB to be able to break contain, freeze the linebackers and buy some time to get receivers open down field. Nevertheless, beware of fools gold. That same QB must be as effective in the pocket to be a viable long term option for a team. Lets take Daunte Culpepper as an example, the man was playing at a torrid pace the first five years of his career, granted he had Randy Moss, yet in 2005 before he got injured he was playing effectively without Moss. Daunte had the unique ability of breaking contain and delivering the ball down filed with accuracy. Nevertheless, he was a below average pocket QB with bad pass rush awareness, small hands, and a long delivery. Once he lost his ability to break contain effectively he became an ineffective QB.

Another more recent example, Michael Vick, once again a universal physical talent. There is no better QB on the planet when 100% healthy. What he did this year was absolutely AWESOME!!! His ability to Paralyze linebackers and safeties was unmatched and led the Eagles to a division win, But his athleticism began to diminish as the season wore on due to nagging injuries to his legs. As the injuries accumulated his effectiveness diminished. His QB rating dove to a pedestrian 73 his final regular season game, and he posted a 79 in the playoffs. If Vick cant run he is a mediocre QB.

My last Example is BIG BEN. Big Ben is unique in that he is a mobile QB but not necessarily fast, yet dangerous enough with his legs that teams must account for his mobility. Big Ben fractured his foot last year and although his numbers suffered to a certain extent he was still an effective QB in the pocket, taking his team to the Super Bowl for the third time. 

When evaluating a QB you need to first evaluate his pocket presence and decision making and consider his unique athleticism as added bonus not the be all end all in your evaluation.